Sparring protection pads

ABSTRACT

A sparring protection pad to protect a wearer&#39;s leg comprising: a body, where the body includes a top portion, a bottom portion, an outer surface and an inner surface; a padding within the body; a covering around the padding, where the covering is waterproof; a plurality of straps attached to the inner surface, where the plurality of straps fasten along the leg; and a waist band attached to the top portion, where the waist band attaches the sparring protection pad to the wearer&#39;s waist.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a padded protective barrier worn by a user to protect them when sparring with another person.

2. Description of Related Art

Contact sports like boxing, karate, jujitsu or taekwondo are popular sports gaining popularity with both spectators and participants. Typically while practicing the contact sports, where physical combat is the essential component, pads are worn by participants to protect themselves from scratches, scrapes, bruises and other serious injury. Common pads are foot and hand pads to soften the strike when making contact with another participant or teammate. Additionally, padded headgear is used to continuously protect the wearer's head.

With the increased popularity of sports like Muay Thai, kickboxing and mixed martial arts (MMA) the legs are a common striking target. A problem is that there are typically no pads that attach to protect the participant or coach's legs during sparring. Therefore it would be beneficial in the art to provide a sparring pad that protects the wearer's legs while fighting. It would also be desirable in the art to provide a pad that attaches at various locations along the leg.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the prior art, the general purpose of the present invention is to provide a sparring protection pad, configured to include all of the advantages of the prior art, and to overcome the drawbacks inherent therein.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a sparring pad that attaches to a wearer's leg.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a sparring pad that fastens around the wearer's hips, thigh, and knee to securely attach the pad.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a sparring pad that is filled with memory foam as padding for added cushioning.

To achieve the above objects, in an aspect of the present invention, a sparring protection pad to protect a wearer's leg is described comprising: a body, where the body includes a top portion, a bottom portion, an outer surface and an inner surface; a padding within the body; a covering around the padding, where the covering is waterproof; a plurality of straps attached to the inner surface, where the plurality of straps fasten along the leg; and a waist band attached to the top portion, where the waist band attaches the sparring protection pad to the wearer's waist.

These together with other aspects of the present invention, along with the various features of novelty that characterize the present invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and form a part of this present invention. For a better understanding of the present invention, its operating advantages, and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The advantages and features of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which:

FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of a pair of sparring protection pads in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 depicts a perspective view of a sparring protection pad worn on a user in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the description of several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention relates to a padded protective barrier worn by a user to protect them when sparring with another person. The barrier comprises a sparring protection pad that includes one or two padded cushions that protect a user's legs from their hips to their calves. The padded cushions are generally D-shaped with multiple fastening straps that wrap around the waist or hips, the thigh and the knee of the wearer. With the full leg padding the wearer is more readily protected from bruising and scraping while sparring with their fighting partner.

Turning now descriptively to the drawings, referring to FIG. 1, a perspective view of a sparring protection pad 100 is shown in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The sparring protection pad 100 includes a body 102 where the body 102 includes a top portion 104, a bottom portion 106, and outer surface 102 and an inner surface 108. The inner surface 108 rests against a leg of a wearer (seen in FIG. 2) to protect the leg during sparring sessions.

The body 102 may comprise a generally elongated semi-circular or semi-cylindrical shape, giving an appearance of a capital “D” when viewed straight from above or below. The inner surface 108 may include a slight curve to form to the wearer's leg, where the two ends of each the top portion 104 and the bottom portion 106 are curved towards each other. The body 102 may range in size from 12-24 inches in length, 5-10 inches wide, and 2-6 inches in pad thickness. Preferably, the body 102 is 21 inches long, 7 inches wide and 4½ inches thick. The body 102 may be filled with a padding to protect a user from external impact. The padding may include standard foam, memory foam or similar material that is layered within the body 102. The padding may be covered with a vinyl, leather, gabardine or plastic material to allow the body 102 to be waterproof.

Attached to the inner surface 108 is a plurality of straps 110. The plurality of straps 110 are elastic straps that attach with a hook and loop or Velcro® fastener around the wearer's leg. A pair of straps 110 may be attached at the upper portion 104 and the lower portion 106 for a secure placement. A waist band 112 may be attached to the top portion 104 to allow the user to fasten a pair of sparring protection pads 100 to each side of the wearer. The waist band 112 may include a set of adjustment strap 114 to loosen or tighten the waist band 112 around the user. To connect the waist band 112 is a fastener 116. The fastener 116 may be a clip, a D-ring, a buckle, a snap or the like for a secure yet easily removable attachment.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a perspective view of the sparring protection pad 100 is shown worn on a user in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The body 102 is illustrated against the user's leg 130, where the inner surface 108 directly touches the thigh. Depending on the length of the sparring protection pad 100 the body 102 may extend from the user's hip down to their knee 132 or calves 134. The waist band 112 may fasten around the user's hips or waist depending on the preferences of the wearer.

While using the sparring protection pad 100 the user is provided additional padding for their hips, knees and calves to protect themselves from leg striking blows during a sparring fight. The unique shape of the body 102 allows for greater impact absorption, and the padding provides the necessary cushioning for the trainer or partner to prevent bruising or injury. The pads 100 may be available as a single pad or a pair depending on the fight training preferred.

The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The exemplary embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A sparring protection pad to protect a wearer's leg comprising: a. a body, where the body includes a top portion, a bottom portion, an outer surface and an inner surface; b. a padding within the body; c. a covering around the padding, where the covering is waterproof; d. a plurality of straps attached to the inner surface, where the plurality of straps fasten along the leg; and e. a waist band attached to the top portion, where the waist band attaches the sparring protection pad to the wearer's waist.
 2. The sparring protection pad according to claim 1, where the padding is made from memory foam.
 3. The sparring protection pad according to claim 1, where the covering is made from one of at least leather, vinyl, plastic and gabardine.
 4. The sparring protection pad according to claim 1, where the plurality of straps is elastic with a hook and loop fastener for attachment.
 5. The sparring protection pad according to claim 1, where the waist band includes an adjustment strap to adjust how the waist band fits around the wearer.
 6. The sparring protection pad according to claim 1, where the waist band includes a fastener.
 7. The sparring protection pad according to claim 6, where the fastener is one of at least a buckle, a clip, a D-ring and a snap.
 8. The sparring protection pad according to claim 1, where the body comprises a semi-cylindrical shape. 